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Alisa Hope Wagner

Alisa Hope Wagner

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6 Steps to Creating a Character Arc in your Story

October 20, 2019 By alisahopewagner Leave a Comment

How to create dynamic characters in your story.

 

The Character Arc is the heart of every fiction story.

How I Experienced my own Character Arc

I write a lot of books. I format, edit and design book covers for each book; therefore, I do a lot of clicking with my mouse. I recently began working on an anthology with forty other writers. I had to copy and paste their words, format their work, add images to the pages, make all edits and design the book cover. The only problem was… I couldn’t do any of it.

I experienced overuse. Because of the repetitive movement of my right arm and hand with the mouse, I contracted what is now known as “mouse shoulder.”  I had radiating pain from my back, up my right shoulder and down my arm to my fingers.

So here is the problem. I had a purpose and some value I wanted to extend. I could see the published anthology on the other side of my obstacle (mouse shoulder), but I couldn’t figure how to get from where I was now to where I needed to be. This created tension. I could either back away from the tension or overcome it.

Here’s what I did. I took my mouse and placed it on the left side of my keyboard. I told my left hand, “Left Hand! You are going to have to pick up the slack. Right Hand can’t do this right now, so you will have to learn and grow.” I really didn’t say all that, but it does make for an interesting story.

I started from scratch. When I first started using the mouse with my left hand, I felt like I was in kindergarten again. I feared that I was going to drastically mess up the book or erase everything. And my right hand kept trying to cross over my body to take hold of the mouse. I had to keep telling it to stay where it belonged. It needed to heal.

I began to change. After a couple of weeks, my left hand finally did it. I was even able to make the fine minor movements necessary for designing book covers. Now when my kids sit at my computer, they complain because my mouse sits on the left side of the keyboard.

Transformation occurred. I experienced a physical changed…and an emotional one because I didn’t give up and I feel stronger because of it. Over forty women will be blessed because the anthology was completed. And since the proceeds of the book go to African missions, many more people will be blessed.

 

 

How I achieved my Character Arc.

  • I had value I needed to impart.
  • There was an obstacle.
  • The obstacle created tension.
  • I overcame by changing.
  • I achieved my goal.
  • I was transformed.

 

Here is how to produce a Character Arc.

  1. Put value and a purpose inside of of your main character (internal).
  2. Put a goal or achievement outside of him or her — far, far away (external).
  3. Put obstacles between the character and his or her goal — the more the better.
  4. The obstacles create tension — readers love tension.
  5. As the character overcomes each obstacle, he or she begins to change.
  6. By the end of the story, the character will be transformed.

 

A Character arc can include the following transformations.

  1. a relational change
  2. an emotional change
  3. an intellectual change
  4. a spiritual change
  5. a physical change

 

The character arc is the heart of fiction.

Watching characters transform as they overcome all obstacles to achieve their goal offers the readers a sense of destiny. It also reminds them that they to can overcome. And if the story is written well, the readers understanding can transform as the character does. Be sure to also read about the five differences between writing fiction and writing non-fiction to help in our writing journey.

 

 

You can watch Alisa’s main character, F’lorna, transform as she confronts the obstacles standing in the way of her destiny. Purchase F’lorna of Rodesh or visit my Book Store to find more books written by Alisa.

 

Alisa Hope Wagner

 

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Filed Under: Christian Writing Tagged With: Chracter arc

Alisa’s Blog

Small Things

Why Jesus – Day 38 Today’s Devotional: Doing the small things in life are just as valuable as doing the big things if God has called us to do them. If our motive is to stay obedient to God, we will do everything unto the Lord! “Has the potter no right over the clay, to […]

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Dead Last: A Chance to Catch Up

I joined a team to run the Beach to Bay, a six-person marathon run in Corpus Christi, Texas. Each person ran a distance of 3 miles to 5 miles. There were six legs of the run, and I was the first leg, which was on the beach–thus the name “Beach to Bay.” There were 8,000 […]

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Walking Through Quick Sand

 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6.9 NKJV). There are some seasons that literally every day feels like walking through quicksand. Waking up is difficult. Working is difficult. Thinking is difficult. Doing daily tasks is difficult. And not […]

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Finding Freedom from Familiar Spirits

A familiar spirit or otherwise known as a familiar stronghold is a way of thinking that does not line up with God’s Word. People do not recognize that their thinking is wrong because they are accustomed to it. Mainly, they were raised with parent(s) or in an atmosphere that normalized this incorrect thinking. Therefore, their […]

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MY QUIET TIME PART 4: FAITH SOAKING SEASON 2 EPISODE 4

Finally, we are at the fourth and final part of my quiet time, which includes Bible Reading, Meditating on His Word, Listening to the Holy Spirit and Speaking in Tongues. First, I Read the Bible.  I usually start my Bible reading with a devotional written by a Christian writer whom I trust. I love reading […]

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MY QUIET TIME PART 3: FAITH SOAKING SEASON 2 EPISODE 3

Now that we know we are the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ and have flipped the script and turned the enemy’s lies into God’s truth, we can continue to the third part of my daily quiet time. Now I claim God’s promises by faith. We all have an assignment on earth, and God has […]

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MY QUIET TIME PART 2: FAITH SOAKING SEASON 2 EPISODE 2

  Now that we loosed the 7 Spirits found in Isaiah 11.2-3, we acknowledged the Holy Spirit and declared His fruit in our lives, and we put on the Armor of God; it is now time for the second part of my quiet time. I recite the Priestly Prayer over me and my family. This […]

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The Violent Take it by Force

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11.12 NKJV). Before Jesus says the above quote, He had been talking about John the Baptist to the crowds. John was not a “reed shaken in the wind” who was “wearing […]

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Dead Last: A Chance to Catch Up

May 24, 2023 By alisahopewagner

Walking Through Quick Sand

May 17, 2023 By alisahopewagner

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Alisa Hope Wagner is a modern day anchorite writing words of inspiration and imagination. Read More…

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